So far, Indiagames is one of the only mobile development studios on the Indian subcontinent that's broken out into world distribution. It's done it by securing the rights to popular American brands like Spider-Man and Predator, and then using them to put together simple, accessible games that supply some fan service. The next property to get the treatment will be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who is the hero of Indiagames' upcoming platformer. The near-final version of the game we played at CTIA impressed us with its preternatural faithfulness to the TV show, as well as its fluid action.

　　Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the teen-oriented faux-horror show that launched Sarah Michelle Gellar's career, won a devoted following in the late 1990s for its juxtaposition of a bubbleheaded martial-artist heroine with classic horror. Hoping to ride the popularity of the show to mobile glory, Indiagames has installed Buffy in a six-stage platform action extravaganza. The stage we sampled, which was set in a castlelike environment, was quite large. It was also filled with all sorts of nasties, including werewolves, bats, and of course the infernal Nosferatu. You keep Buffy in one piece with her trademark kung-fu moves, which she automatically performs in combination attacks. For instance, if you're whaling on a vampire, she'll lay down several punches and kicks and then deliver the coup de grace with a stake. According to Indiagames, Buffy will also have access to magic attacks, although we weren't able to verify this during play.

　　The Buffy beta looked and ran great on the Series 60 handset we used to demo it. Most impressively, Buffy is already running at what seems like twice the speed of Indiagames' last effort, Predator, which adds a tremendous amount to the new game's playability. The game's animation was also surprisingly smooth--Buffy seems to have a lot more frames than Predator, The Day After Tomorrow, or Spider-Man. In addition, many more little details have been added to Buffy than we've seen in previous Indiagames titles, including fighting animations and even some rudimentary lighting effects.

　　In all, Buffy the Vampire Slayer looks like it will be Indiagames' strongest effort when it comes out in November. Stay tuned for more coverage.